


Calamity

by zinny



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Canon Rewrite, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Jealousy, Loki (Marvel) is Not Amused, Not Actually Unrequited Love, POV Original Female Character, Protective Stephen Strange, Protective Thor (Marvel), Slavery, Slow Burn, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-04-24 18:05:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zinny/pseuds/zinny
Summary: “Because that's what heroes do.”Max West has spent a majority of her time with Stephen Strange and things are usually composed in the New York sanctum. So when Thor and Loki appear giving the once placid building a bit of life, she jumps at the chance for more excitement and offers to keep an eye on Loki while the brothers go see their father.A brief trip to Norway somehow turns into getting plunged headfirst into Asgardian drama.It doesn’t help that Loki is quite charming when he isn’t trying to take over Earth and she isn’t immune to his charisma.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, I felt like writing an OC-centric story. I know numerous people aren’t fond of that on this site but I don’t care. I love my girl so I’m sharing her here and on Wattpad under the username: virginiapotts.
> 
> It’s a bit vague in the beginning but it’ll change once the story progresses. 
> 
> If you have questions, drop a line below.
> 
>  **Edit** : was previously titled, Misadventures.

The New York sanctum was warm this early Spring afternoon. The sun illuminated every nook and corner via the annular window within the center of the building; casting a soft almost empyreal glow on the bleak colored walls. The sound of cars and civilians passing by being the only noise inside the base beside Stephen, who was hastily flipping through pages of an old book.

Max, who was coming back from her very first Avengers meeting, made her way up the stairs to where Stephen was. Her dark wavy hair swaying on her spine with every step she took, the new all-black latex gear, courtesy of Tony, felt smooth against her skin. To be honest, there was a little pride in her as the blue Avengers logo on her upper right arm contrasted with her dark suit. Never in a million years did Max believe she’d be part of the Avengers.

“What’s got you so stressed, Strange?" She greeted, stepping into the room and making her way over to where he sat. Max took the seat opposite from him and crossed her legs primly, a groomed eyebrow raised at his scowl.

Stephen paused and sighed before meeting her gaze. “Both Loki and Thor are back on Earth and I’m trying to find out why.”

Max sat up, eyes wide and fists clenched. “Is Loki planning something? Should I call Tony or Vision?”

He shook his head, a trembling hand running through his hair carefully. “It doesn't seem like it’s for anything malicious but I’m not taking any chances.” There was a small upturn in his smile and if Stephen Strange is amused, someone must be in distress somewhere.

“Oh, God.” Max’s shoulders sagged as she leveled him with a suspicious gaze. “What did you do, Stephen?”

“Nothing bad.” Stephen rolled his eyes before snapping the book closed and standing, the cloak of levitation quickly draping itself upon his shoulders before he stepped out of the room. Max quickly followed him out. “We have a guest,” Stephen announced before advancing his way over to the large orbicular windowpane and allowing the cloak to levitate him, the ends of the red fabric curling dramatically in the air.

Before she could make a joke, a snap was overheard inside the once serene sanctum. Reacting immediately, Max raised her hands in defense, her fingertips shimmering in a vivid blue hue. Suddenly across from Stephen, Thor emerged out of thin air looking rather perplexed and a bit squeamish.

“Thor Odinson.” Stephen began, his voice much more pronounced than usual. Max bit the inside of her cheek to avoid snickering out loud at his flair for the dramatic. “God of Thunder.”

Thor, who stilled at Stephen’s voice, raised an old umbrella ready to defend himself.

“You can put down the umbrella,” Max stated, stepping out of the shadows and announcing her presence. Her arms crossed over her chest as she made her way over to Stephen’s side.

Pausing slightly, Thor gave both of them a sideways glance before putting his umbrella down. Once it touched the ground, the environment changed and they were now inside Stephen’s office. Somehow, Max ended up sitting on the desk while Stephen sat on the chair behind it. They shared an amused look before turning back to Thor, whose eyebrows were furrowed in puzzlement.

“So Earth has wizards now?” He inquired, waving a hand over Stephen nonchalantly.

Max snorted before raising her hands in defense at Stephen’s frown. Stephen sighed and placed his palms flat on the desk. “The preferred term is _Master of the Mystic Arts_.”

Thor paused before shrugging indifferently. “All right wizard, who are you and why should I care?”

“My name is Doctor Stephen Strange and this is my apprentice, Maxine West.” Grinning, Max raised a hand and waved at Thor, who returned it instinctively. “And I have some questions for you.” In a blink of an eye, Thor was now seated across from them on a high-back chair, his face twisted in irritation. “Tea?”

Suddenly, there is a teacup in both Thor and Max’s hands. Max takes a slow sip, humming contently while Thor somewhat grimaces down at his own cup. “I don’t drink tea.”

“What do you drink?” Max questioned, hiding her amused smile behind her cup.

“Not tea.” He responds, his mouth twitching upwards.

Thor startles imperceptibly when his teacup converts into a never-ending stein of beer. Max observes him in amusement; he is interesting and she is curious by nature.

Stephen straightens his posture before continuing. “I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. Your adopted brother Loki is one of those beings.”

Nodding, Thor hums in acceptance. “He’s a worthy inclusion.”

“Then why bring him here?” Stephen asks.

“We’re looking for my father.”

There was a pause, both Max and Stephen glance at each other before she shrugs and he nods curtly. Stephen turns back to Thor. “If I were to tell you where Odin is, all parties concerned would promptly return to Asgard?”

“Promptly.” Thor agrees with a nod, placing the stein of beer on Stephen’s desk.

“Great. Then allow me to help you.” Stephen stands, clasping his hands together.

“If you knew where he was, why didn’t you call me?”

“Your father was adamant that he not be disturbed. He had chosen to remain in exile.” Stephen admitted before pausing. “And you don't have a phone.”

Thor shrugged. “No, I don’t have a phone, but you could’ve sent an electronic letter. It’s called an email.” He responded proudly like he knew something Stephen didn’t.

“Yeah, do you have a computer?”

“No, what for?” Thor replies. Max covers her mouth, her grey eyes dancing with mirth as Stephen exhales in frustration. Thor, who is oblivious to the situation, continues. “Anyway, my father is no longer in exile. So if you could tell me where he is, I’ll be able to take him home.”

Clapping once, Stephen nods. “Gladly. He’s in Norway.”

The scenery changed and now they were relocated near a bookcase, Max once again was seated on one of the tables while Stephen flipped through an ancient book as he stood across from her. Thor, who was on the other side of the room, tumbles slightly before reaching for the bookcase to steady himself.

“I’m just seeing whether this incantation requires any Asgardian modification,” Stephen adds noncommittedly. He swiftly flipped through the book before closing it. “Nope.”

In a matter of seconds, they teleport to Stephen’s workstation. Thor groans in queasiness at all the changes. Max is now standing next to him, she places a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He looks down at her, a relieved smile on his face.

“You get used to it.” Max shrugs before letting him go and raising a hand to levitate some of the books he dropped and placing them back in their rightful place with a flick of her wrist. From her peripheral vision, she noticed Thor watching her with interest. His vision rested at the brazen A on her suit but he didn’t comment on it.

“I need one strand of your hair,” Stephen says, putting the book down on one of the tables.

Thor frowns. “Let me explain something, my hair is not to be meddled with-”

Somehow, Stephen ended up behind Thor and plucked a hair from his head. Max stepped back and raised an eyebrow as Thor yelped and clapped the back of his head with furrowed eyebrows. The two watch as Stephen extends the strand of hair and infuses it with his magic. He quickly does a few gestures with his hands and then suddenly, there is a golden light beaming from his fingers before they teleport once more.

Max and Stephen stand side by side next to the front staircase. Thor somehow ended up rolling down the last steps of the case, his hair a mess and his cheeks flushed.

“We could have just walked.” He says, landing on the floor before standing up and pushing his hair back with a huff.

“He’s waiting for you,” Stephen states, nodding over to the portal next to them. Max tilted her head and glanced at the other side of the opening. From where she stood, she could make out a peaceful meadow with trimmed grass and a light blue sky; it looked tranquil.

“All right.” Thor sighed, squaring his shoulders.

“Don’t forget your umbrella,” Max added with a grin.

Thor tilted his head to the side and nodded. “Yes.” He extends his arm and holds out his hand. From afar, the sound of crashing objects and breaking glass was heard. Stephen’s expression was pinched and Max was trying really hard to not laugh at the scene. “Sorry.” Thor apologizes sheepishly as the umbrella finally flies to his hand.

He brushes the umbrella off before nodding at Stephen. “I suppose I’ll need my brother back.”

“Right.”

With that, Stephen raised a hand and flicks his wrist. A golden portal appears above Thor’s right side. Screaming is heard from the distance before it grows louder. In a matter of seconds, Loki descends from the portal and lands harshly on the wood flooring. Max winces slightly at the sound of his body collapsing on the ground. He staggers to his feet, flipping his hair back in disoriented rage.

“I have been falling... _for thirty minutes_!”

Stephen rolled his eyes and looked back at Thor. “You can handle him from here.”

“Of course. Thank you very much for your help.” Thor steps forward and shakes his hand before doing the same to Max. Except for her, he gently grabs her wrist and places a delicate chaste kiss on her knuckles. “It was very nice meeting you, Lady Maxine.”

Max smiles, a warm blush decorating her cheekbones. “It was nice meeting you as well, Thor.”

“Good luck,” Stephen adds, an amused expression on his face.

“Handle me?” Loki finally turns and faces them, a frown on his face. “Who are you?”

“Loki.” Thor chastises.

Loki snaps his wrists, daggers forming out of thin air as he took a menacing step forward, ready to attack Stephen. “You think you’re some kind of sorcerer? Don’t think for one minute, you second-rate...”

His words died out as Max advanced towards him, fists clenched as both her hands and eyes glowed in a vigorous electric blue color. “Don’t even think about it, Criss Angel.”

Thor grabbed Loki’s shoulder and pulled him back. Loki stumbled slightly before he shrugged off his brother’s hand. He and Max kept their gazes locked on each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

“Maxine,” Stephen warned, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

With an exhale, Max stepped back, her eyes turned back to her natural grey color. She shook her hands and the glow disappeared, but her fists remained clenched.

Stephen looked back to Thor, who was still giving Max a curious glance. “Are you sure taking him is a good idea?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Loki hissed, finally turning away from Max to glare at Stephen.

“Even if it is not, he is my brother and Odin is _our_ father,” Thor responds, his voice much more jaded than before. “He should be there.”

“Maybe I can get someone to go with you and watch him-” Stephen tries before Max cuts in.

“I can go!” Max offers, jaw still clenched but overall, her face full of curiosity. “I’ve never been to Norway. Plus, I’ll just loom in the background. You won’t even know I’m there. I’ll keep an eye on things.” She adds the last part with a glare thrown at Loki’s direction.

Loki frowns. “Thor-”

“It’s settled. Lady Maxine will come along.” Thor grins and places a heavy hand on Loki’s shoulder, causing the other to wince slightly. “We’ll bring her back before we return to Asgard.”

Stephen opened his mouth to argue but Max grinned and gestured at the portal. “After you, gentlemen.”

Both Thor and Loki step into the opening, just as Max was one foot in, she turned to Stephen and gave him a smile. “Don't worry, Strange. I’ll return. I’m only going to watch him and then I’ll come back, I promise.”

“You’re going somewhere you have never been to with strangers, I think I have a right to worry.” Stephen frowns, his shoulders tense but he makes no move to stop her. “Just... just be careful.”

“I will,” Max promised. She glanced at the portal and observed as the brothers stepped over to where their father stood. “Tell Tony I’ll be back later and make sure Spidey doesn’t drink my juice! He’s always taking my leftovers.” With that, Max gave him one last grin and descended completely into the opening. She turned around to see the portal closing deliberately behind her. The last thing she saw on the other side was Stephen’s pinched expression before it vanished completely.


	2. Bifrost

The scenery was even more beautiful than it looked from outside the portal. The grass was a vibrant green shade, the small wisps of wind making the longer parts of grass flow hypnotically through the landscape, the salty scent of an ocean lingered in the air. Everything of this placed screamed: _balmy_.

She took a few steps forward, close enough to see the three but far enough to not be a nuisance or distraction. Loki was on Odin’s left, a dejected expression on his face, while Thor was on his right, his face resembling a kicked puppy.

With a frown, Max slipped her hands into her pants pockets and pulled out the StarkPhone Tony gave her a few months ago. She scanned through her text messages, a soft laugh escaping her lips as she clicked on the recent message from Peter; an old “I Have The High Ground” Obi-Wan Kenobi meme as his response from earlier today’s banter.

There was a feeling of grief in the air, the skies became dimmer causing Max to look up from her phone screen to see the All-Father disintegrate into stardust, leaving a coruscate of gold shimmers in his place before it disappears completely. She flickers her eyesight to the sky, the wind picks up and the place grows darker. Quickly, she locks her phone and makes her way over to the two brothers who looked moments away from interchanging punches. 

As she makes it in front of them, she overhears Thor put the blame on Loki, electricity crackling between his hands. A crack is heard from the sky, Max turns to see a dark portal split in the atmosphere. It resembled nothing Stephen could do; this was obscurer magic. The two brothers were still arguing and Max did a double take as a figure stepped out of the opening.

“Guys, stop!” Max cuts in with a hiss. “What the hell is that?”

The two finally stop and turn to the direction Max is looking at. Thor visibly stills and Loki tenses. They both step forward; Thor slams his umbrella — that turns out to be Mjölnir — down, his civilian attire changing into his Asgardian armor. Loki glimmers lightly before his dark suit reforms into his own armor.

As Thor starts making his way over to the person, Loki turns to Max and levels her with a glare. “Stay here, mortal.” Before following his brother and leaving her behind.

Max sneers at his back. “Fat chance.”

Picking up her pace, Max makes her way over to the very untimely family reunion. The woman across from them was tall and lean, her armor resembling Loki’s purely by aesthetic reasoning. Her hair was dark, cheekbones sharp and eyes that matched her stance; calculating and confident.

“You sound like him.” The woman says, her chin tilted up as she gave Loki a once over before shifting her gaze to Max, causing Thor to move closer and stand in front of her like a human shield. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the action. “Kneel.” She orders a smirk forming on her lips.

“Beg your pardon.” Loki is now frowning, annoyance clear on his face.

The woman gave a haughty chuckle before manifesting a large pitch black blade. “Kneel... before your _Queen_.”

Thor glared at her. “I don’t think so.”

He pulls his arm back and hurls Mjölnir at her but instead of hitting her, it freezes as it connects with her raised palm. Thor looks affronted, he raises a hand to call back Mjölnir but she keeps a tight grasp on the club.

“It’s not possible.” Thor murmurs, eyes entirely on Mjölnir.

“Darling, you have no idea what’s possible.”

The woman tilts her head before squeezing Mjölnir, the hammer glowing radiantly before it shatters into rubble beneath her. The blast from the hammers destruction was powerful enough to jostle them a few steps back. Max raised her hands over her face to shield herself from the harsh blow.

The three watch as she smirks and runs her hands back over her head, creating a black and very terrifying headdress.

Loki sucked in an unsteady breath before he glanced up. “Bring us back!”

“No!” Thor belts as Max exclaims, “wait!”

Just as they both shout, the woman charges at them. Before she could reach them, the Bifrost envelopes all four of them. Max screeches as she’s zoomed upwards alongside Loki and Thor. The celestial beam was a blend of different hues but prominently, a blinding white color. Thor looks down at her, he reaches over and grabs Max by her waist, pulling her up to his side. At that moment, she was thankful for it. But before she could count her blessings, they look down to see the woman sailing with them and growing closer and closer by the second.

Acting quickly, Loki slows down and starts hurling daggers at her. It distracts her momentarily before she plows right through him and knocks him right off the Bifrost.

Max gasps and fear envelopes her as she sees him fall into the obscurity. “Loki!” Thor yells, his clutch on her tightening.

The woman conjures a jet black grappling hook and gets a hold of both of them. Max raises a fist, her fingers illuminating as she swung her hand and throws a blue blast of an ultraviolet beam at her, momentarily blinding her. Thor takes advantage and kicks her off, effectively dislodging them both from her grasp but also, knocking them both out of the Bifrost.

Thor grabs Max’s hand, their fingers interlock as the darkness encompasses them.


	3. Scrapper #142

Everything in Max’s body was screaming at her to do something but her fear overcame her capacity to think. She squeezed Thor’s hand, a stuttering breath escaping her lips as the two fall from one of the wormholes in the sky. A scream erupting from both of their throats as they drop brutally onto the surface, causing a large cloud of dust to form because of the impact.

A groan escapes from Max’s mouth as she coughs around the veil of dust surrounding them. She sits up and looks around, the area they were in was a filthy wasteland covered in junk. Thor was a few feet away from her, but before she could call out his name, a large metal object is descending from a different wormhole and right to where she is squatting. Max raises her hands in defense, the object freezes in the sky; her signature electric blue hue embracing it before she flicks her wrists and throws the boulder to one of the many piles of garbage around them.

Suddenly, a loud noise gets her attention. A large rectangular ship with various odd-looking humanoid scrappers appears and the sound of odd alien music grows closer. Max stands and makes her way to Thor, who was now getting up and brushing his pants off. Once in front of each other, they share a glance but before either could speak, one of the scrapper’s signals their crew and makes their way over to them.

“Are you a fighter or food?” They ask, eyes shifting from Thor to Max.

“We’re just passing through,” Thor answers for them, instinctively moving closer to her.

The scrapper shrugs. “Food it is. On your knees.”

Thor reaches out and frowns, Max wonders if he was calling out for Mjölnir. Out of nowhere, the scrapper raises a rifle at Thor and it shoots out a solid metal projectile that successfully knocks Thor on his back.

The scrappers surrounded them. Max shifts into a defensive stance, they aim their rifles at her and she envelops herself in a blue forcefield once they aim, fortunately shielding herself. She throws a high power energy blast at the lead scrapper causing it fall back and drop the rifle. Max takes advantage and charges at them, throwing blast after blast at each of them.

Stephen trained her to control her powers, they were charged with her emotions so if not careful, things can get deadly easily. At the moment, Max was fueled by adrenaline and annoyance, she jumped up and swiftly kicked one of the scrappers down. Another one charged towards her, she didn’t think twice, she leaped and hoped for the best.

Luckily for her, her determination was more potent than her doubt and she was able to levitate herself.

Levitation is something Stephen hasn’t covered. That being said, they didn’t know she could fly until a few months ago when Max was training with Vision. He charged at her and she leaped out of the way and suddenly, she was hovering a good five feet in the air. Flight is a rare ability and while not mastered easily, it was definitely an advantage, especially in battle. Tony convinced Vision to try to help but alas, he isn’t the best instructor, therefore, Stephen took over.

Having said that, she hasn’t tried flying again after that incident so she was currently a little rusty. One of the scrappers hurled their metal club at her, Max waved a hand and launched the staff back at them.

Before anyone else could do anything, a second ship arrives. Thor manages to get up and Max peers down at him. He has an eyebrow raised, an intrigued smile thrown at her once he regards her capability to fly. They shift back their attention to the new ship; it’s sleek and much nicer than the one that belongs to the scrappers around them. The front of the ship flips open, a gangplank extends to the ground.

Everyone stops and stares at the newcomer. A woman appears, her face is stoic as she lifts a half-empty bottle to her lips and chugs it all in one go. Max raises an impressed eyebrow while Thor frowns slightly. The woman smashes the bottle against her ship before taking a few steps forward.

“They’re mine.” She announces.

She strides down the gangplank before veering off and falling off course and landing on into a pile of trash; she’s obviously plastered.

The scrappers shrug and resume battling against Thor and Max. Thor grabs a club and aims at one of the scrappers while Max glides back down and throws a punch at one of them.

“Wait!” The woman exclaims but no one pays her attention. “They’re _mine!_ ” She grips a piece of junk to support herself and picks herself up. “If you want them, you go through me.”

Pausing, the scrappers aim their weapons at her.

“We already have them.”

With a sigh, the woman clangs her metal gauntlets together to activate them. “Alright, I guess I go through you.”

“More food.” One of the scrappers spoke up.

She holds out her fists as if she’s operating machinery. The ship whirs to life, the woman clenches her fist as a loud noise erupts from the ship before it opens fire. She sweeps her arms out in an arc, the gunfire lasting three seconds. Banging her fists once more, sending her ship into idle mode. The scrappers that once surrounded Max and Thor are now piles of litter.

One last scrapper charges at the woman, Max quickly raises a fist and envelops the humanoid in a thick veil of blue before hurling him across the wasteland of junk.

Before anyone could say anything, the woman reaches into her belt and flicks two small discs that lodge themselves on both Thor and Max’s necks.

Max claps a hand over it. “What the fuck?!” Thor attempts to rip the thing from his skin.

The woman holds up a fob device and presses a button. The disc blinks twice before Thor and Max are both filled with a surge of pain through their veins as they are electrocuted. Thor falls first, twitching slightly and Max falls after him. 

Her mouth is ajar as she feels the electricity course within her veins, causing her body to ache and her biological energy to try and fight the pain. Max’s eyes flashed in a violent blue hue and her whole body jerked. The woman must’ve noticed Max’s body trying to fight it because she pressed the button on the fob device twice and the voltage on her increased; the pain being too much for her. Just before she blacks out, she sees the woman — scrapper? — stride towards them with a victorious grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little fyi on max and her powers. i’d like to think her powers are a mixture of wanda, starfire and violet parr’s. not necessarily the same but similar in a few aspects. her origin and backstory will be brought to light later. for now, you get snippets. also, if it seems she’s more “powerful” than thor — she **isn’t**. max’s powers are charged with her emotions and with that being said; max is someone who reacts easily. her powers will be more potent with how strong her emotions are at the moment.


	4. Contenders

The next time Max wakes up, she’s strapped into a chair. Her pulse increases as she recalls what happened before she blacked out. Turning to her left, she sees another form on the chair next to her. She squinted, making out Thor’s physique based on the contours of his face and his messy blond hair.

“Thor?” Max murmurs, voice still hoarse from when they were apprehended earlier that day.

Suddenly, their seats are jolted forward and they start propelling ahead. Thor opens his eyes with a groan. He does a double take before struggling with the restraints.

“Lady Maxine?” He speaks, looking over at her with furrowed brows and perplexed blue eyes. “Where are we?”

Max shakes her head, fingers glowing blue as her frown deepens. “I don’t know but we _need_ to find a way out.”

Abruptly, the once dark room becomes bright and a soothing voice speaks up from somewhere above them.

“Fear not, for you are found. You are home, and there is no going back. No one leaves this place.”

Clenching her fists at the words, Max’s eyes were now a vigorous electric cerulean color. “I don’t think so!” She struggles in her chair, the restraints tighten the more she fights it.

Thor follows her lead but the chairs jostle them and the restraints tighten, even more, cutting into Max’s skin causing her to halt and wince.

“But what is this place? The answer is Sakaar.”

The tunnel walls show perceptions of Sakaar’s place in the cosmos and she finds herself squinting because of the bright lights. The voice continues to speak, Thor seems to be a bit in a daze with all the wild hues flashing on the walls. She exhales deeply, her wrists throbbing from how tight the restraints were placed. Whenever she sees that scrapper again, Max is going to _obliterate_ her.

“Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself. You are now meeting the Grandmaster.”

It all happened so fast, the lights flickered repeatedly, their seats stirred roughly and everything went dark for just a second. In the distance, she could detect Thor yelling from her left. Max bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut, the movement and colors triggering her motion-sickness and making her nauseous.

Suddenly, the seats ceased. Thor’s outcries died out into a very withdrawn self-conscious breath. Max pried her eyes open, squinting at all the shades of neon colors the people around her wore. In front of them was a man with golden robes and interest in his eyes.

This must be the Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster observed them briefly, the end of his lips twitching upwards. He turned to the woman next to him and gave her a nod. Max frowned when she noticed the scrapper walking up to him. The scrapper meets her gaze but remains stoic, exasperating Max even more.

“What have you brought today? Tell me.” The Grandmaster asks, his eyes never leaving both Thor and Max.

The scrapper tilts her head. “Contenders.”

“Excuse me?” Thor fumes.

Max glares at her, already feeling the energy forming within her veins. The Grandmaster immediately discerns the glowing blue tint on Max’s fingertips and claps excitedly. “I need to go closer. I want a closer look at this. Can you take us closer? Thank you.” The Grandmaster was now up and personal to them.

Thor glared at him while Max sneered in distaste, feeling aggravated to be observed like some zoo animal.

“Pay this lady.” He states, a now genuine grin on his tan face.

“Just wait a damn minute-” Thor starts before Max cuts in with vicious bark of laughter. “Oh, darling. You can’t afford me!”

With that, Thor nearly bursts through the restraints; his fingertips charged with electricity that almost mirrored the way Max’s hands gleamed at the moment. The Grandmaster beamed at the sight, excitement twinkling in his dark eyes.

“Feisty! Yes, yes. These _are_ fighters.”

The scrapped nodded. “I’ll take 10 million.”

The three spoke to each other but Max wasn’t engaged in what they were saying, instead she turned to Thor and gave him an uneasy glance. Thor paused once he caught her gaze, his face shifted from irritation to concern instantly. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when they noticed the scrapper who sold them was now leaving the room with a slight bounce in her step.

“You’ll pay for this!” He roars, rage evident in his voice.

The scrapper looked over her shoulder. “No, I got paid for this.” Before turning and walking away from them.

Max exhales, her heart still pounding against her chest. The Grandmaster holds up a fob device in his hand, clicking it once - causing both Max and Thor’s chairs to follow him as he walks away from the crowd and to another section of the room.

“Here’s what I want to know. Who are you two?” They stop at a much more secluded subdivision. Some people occupied a corner near them, not even sparing them a glance as they laughed lightly and drank oddly colorful drinks. The Grandmaster stopped and turned to them, his righthand lady walking next to him as well.

“I am the God of Thunder!” Thor exclaims, freeing himself from the restraints. A small static of electricity running through his fingers.

The Grandmaster hummed, his voice saturated with amusement. “Wow. I didn’t hear any thunder, but out of your fingers, was that like... sparkles?” He then turned to Max and smiled. “And you, dear? Don’t be shy, I saw the blue glow in your hands.”

But before Max could answer, the woman cuts in. “We located your cousin.”

“Oh, good!” The Grandmaster turns away from her and turns to look at something behind Thor.

Another chair like theirs comes into view. A man is restrained, his face is pale and he’s visibly trembling. The Grandmaster steps closer to him.

“So...”

Quickly, his cousin starts speaking. “Please, I’m sorry.”

There was a pause before the Grandmaster nods. “Carlo, I pardon you.”

His cousin exhales in relief, nodding and speaking rapidly. “Thank you! Thank you!”

“You’re officially pardoned... From life.” With that, the Grandmaster casually takes the woman’s Sakaarian Guard staff and jabs it into his cousin’s midsection causing all the skin to melt off his skeleton. Carlo shrieks in pain before his vocal chords melt.

Thor looks on in shock, his mouth is slightly ajar. “Oh, my god!”

Max has to turn away, gagging quietly as the scent of burning flesh invades her nostrils.

Carlo’s liquid form slides from the chair and down to the floor near the Grandmaster’s feet.

“I’m stepping in it. I’m stepping in it. Look out!” He says, bouncing from one foot to another, raising his robes slightly above his ankles to avoid the liquid from touching him or his clothes.

“Oh,” Thor suppressed a gag. “The smell.”

“What does it smell like?”

“Burnt toast.”

The Grandmaster immediately recovers and gasps lightly. “What happened to my manners? I haven’t properly introduced myself. Come on, follow me.”

He gives the woman the staff back. The chairs trail after them again and they arrive at a space where a group of musicians plays unusual instruments Max has never seen before. The Grandmaster is now in front of them and playing an instrument that slightly resembles a sound synthesizer from Earth before speaking again.

“My name is Grandmaster. I preside over a little harlequinade called the Contest of Champions. People come from far and wide to unwillingly participate in it. And you two, my new friends, might just be part of the new cast. What do you say to that?”

“We’re not your friends and I don’t give a shit about your games!” Thor belted. “We’re going to Asgard!”

“Ass-gard?”

Max’s lip twitches at the joke before she grimaces. The Grandmaster now ignores them and goes back to playing a melody, his guards and guests start moving to the music. In the distance, something incurs her attention. To their left was a group of people talking amongst each other casually, she squints and immediately recognizes one of them.

“Thor!” Max whispers, turning back to him and kicking her legs up and down to get his attention away from the Grandmaster. “Psst! Look over there.”

Thor glares at the Grandmaster once more before turning towards the direction Max is kicking. In the distance, they both see Loki sitting casually as he talked to another guest.

“Loki!?” Thor hisses, eyes widening in both relief and exasperation. “Loki! Over here!”

Loki turns and meets their eyes. He blanches silently before excusing himself and making his way over to them.

“Loki!” Thor continues.

Instantly, Loki rushes himself over to them and shushes his brother.

“What? You’re alive?” Loki gives him a once-over before sparing Max a glimpse and glancing back at his brother.

“Yes, of course, I’m alive.” Thor frowns.

“What are you two doing here?” Loki huffs, crossing his arms carelessly and resting his hip on Max’s chair, causing her to scowl.

“What do you mean, what are we doing here? We’re stuck in these stupid chairs, obviously. Where’s your chair?”

Loki stills before slipping his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t get a chair.”

“What exactly are _you_ doing here?” Max finally cuts in.

“The Bifrost brought me out here weeks ago,” Loki responds indifferently, interlocking eyes with her as he speaks. “I made friends with this man. He’s called the Grandmaster.”

“Yeah, the golden fucker over there.” Max jerks her head towards the direction where the Grandmaster was still standing, oblivious to their conversation. “You’re telling me we were getting electrocuted and sold while you were here sipping martinis without a care in the world?!”

Loki gives her a small shrug and Thor frowns at him. “Get us out of these things, brother.”

“I can’t. I’ve earned his favor.”

“Listen here, Dumbledore-” Max is now angrily kicking him from her chair, Loki quickly jumps out of the way with an amused grin.

Thor cuts in after finally processing Loki’s words from earlier and pales. “Wait, did you say weeks ago?”

Before anyone could answer, another voice speaks up.

“What are you whispering about?”

All three startle at the voice, turning towards the direction it came from with wide eyes.

“Time works real different around these parts.” The Grandmaster states. “On any other world, I’d be like, millions of years old. But here on Sakaar...”

He pauses and turns to Loki. The silence is awkward and way too long. Thor gives his brother an uncomfortable glance and Max raises an eyebrow at the Grandmaster's suggestive tone.

“In any case, you know them? This...” He pauses, turning to Thor. “You call yourself Lord of Thunder?”

Thor huffs. “God of Thunder.” He looks to Loki. “Tell him.”

“I’ve never met this man in my life,” Loki counters instantly.

“He’s my brother!” Thor bellows in agitation with the back and forth that seems to be going nowhere.

“Adopted.” Loki acknowledges, throwing the Grandmaster a wry smile.

“Are they any kind of fighters?”

Loki shrugs and gives him a “so-so” gesture.

“You take this thing out of my neck and I’ll show you,” Thor warns with a sharp smile.

The Grandmaster chuckles. “Now listen to that! He’s threatening me. Hey Sparkles, here’s the deal. If you wanna get back to Ass-place... Assberg.”

“Asgard.” Max corrects with a sigh.

“Any contender who defeats my champion, their freedom they shall win. So let’s make a deal right now. If either of you wins against them, you’re free to go.”

Thor squares his shoulders and sits up in his chair. “Fine. Then point me in the direction of whoever’s ass I have to kick.”

“That’s what I call, a contender!” The Grandmaster laughs and turns to Max. “I’m not worried about you either, dear. You’ll both be perfect additions to my cast.” With a final clap, he calls his guards over. “Direction would be this way, kids!”

With that, the guards haul both Max and Thor from their seats and escort them out. Max looks over her shoulder, catching Loki’s eye. He sends her a wink before pivoting and going back the couch he was sitting on before they called him over.


	5. Azure

Before they acknowledge it, both Thor and Max are being jostled into a capacious cell where other alien prisoners are lingering around. Once thrown in, the large door is slammed shut behind them. Max winces as she lands on her right arm, a repugnant crack is heard as a throbbing ache builds. Thor quickly gets to his feet, shoulders squared as he rams his left arm into the door, trying to take it down.

“Hey! Take it easy, man.” A voice speaks up.

Thor pauses midway and Max looks up. A rock-like alien is stepping forward with a raised hand, waving at them.

“Over here, the pile of rocks waving at you. Yeah, I’m actually a thing, I’m a being.” He pauses and gives Max a hand, helping her get to her feet. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Korg. I’m kind of like the leader here. I’m made of rocks, as you can see, don’T let that intimidate you. You don’t need to be afraid unless you’re made of scissors.”

Max smiles at the joke, Korg continues with a slight giggle. “Just a little rock-paper-scissors joke for you. This is my very good friend over here, Miek. He’s an insect and has knives for hands.”

Miek greets them with some karate moves to which Max waves slightly before wincing again. Thor quickly steps over to her, placing a gentle hand on her arm as he massages the sensitive limb with careful fingers.

“Are you okay, Lady Maxine?”

Exhaling a shaky breath, Max bites her lip. “I don’t know. I think it’s broken.”

Thor looks over at Korg. “Are there any healers here? Someone who can help?”

“Unsurprisingly, no.” Korg shakes his head, hand scratching the back of his neck. “But I think there might be some cloth somewhere, we can wrap the limb briefly. I’ll go ask around.”

“We’ll be here.” Thor nods as Korg leaves, he delicately guides Max back to the wall and encourages her to sit on the floor as they wait. He takes the spot next to her and sighs quietly, his head in his hands. “This is a calamity.”

Max gives a jittery chortle, using her left arm to support her right arm and clutch it tightly to her chest with trembling fingers. “Yeah, I didn’t think a trip to Norway would somehow turn into an intergalactic voyage that ended up with us being auctioned off like cattle.”

Thor briefly raises his head enough for them to interlock eyes. “I’m sorry, Maxine.”

She gives him a wry smile and a disbelieving chuckle. “It’s not your fault, Thor. If anything, I’m the one who volunteered for the trip.” Max delays, looking down at her arm for a few seconds and blinking a few tears away. “Besides, you didn’t anticipate that woman to show up and do all... that. Who even was she?”

“My sister, Hela,” Thor answers unobtrusively. “She’s adamant on ruling Asgard and the Nine Realms. At this very moment, she is most likely attempting to take the throne.”

“So we’ll stop her,” Max counters, biting her lip to avoid wincing at the pain in her now numb arm. “We’ll get the fuck out of here, go back to Asgard and stop her.”

“You would be willing to fight a battle that is not yours?” Thor now completely raises his head to look at her, eyes slightly wide.

“I have these... I have these _abilities_ that can be used to help. It’s not the type of life I favor but it’s not something I can change and I’ve learned to accept that.” Max looks back up to Thor, determination visible in her grey eyes. “We’re here together, there must be a purpose for that. I think that reason is to take your sister down. So yes, I’m willing to fight a battle that is not mine. You need help and I’m willing to do just that.”

There was a beat of silence, no one spoke. Thor was giving her the softest look ever — it resembled the look Stephen gave her when she quickly picked up on her powers. Something between being proud and in awe, it made her cheeks turn a dawn-tinted hue.

Before either could say anything else, Korg was stepping forward with Miek behind him. “Here, man. I found this soft cloth you can use for her arm.” He moves closer and gives it to Thor, who takes it gratefully and gestures for her arm. With delicate fingers, Thor smoothly wraps the fabric around her arm, compressing it lightly for added pressure. He enveloped it around her shoulder twice before Miek stepped forward, slicing the extra material off with his razor limb.

Max glanced down at the self-made arm sling and smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

They chatted briefly before Max felt her eyelids droop. Before she knew it, her head lolled to the side and was engulfed in the scent of perspiration and smooth citrus radiating from Thor’s body as she let the darkness overtake her.

She doesn’t know how long she was out for but there was a brief veil mellowness surrounding her. The atmosphere was cooler and as Max tried to open her eyes, she managed to get a glimpse of someone donning green and leather squatting beside her. Before she could complain or even move, there was a shimmer of emerald encompassing her, particularly, her injured arm.

One moment, there was nothing but discomfort in her arm and abruptly, it was followed by numbness. Max felt the bones in her arm mend themselves and in a matter of seconds, her arm felt better than before.

“What?” Max slurred, still trying to get a good look at whoever healed her arm.

The person took a step back but remained nearby. “Sh. Rest, sweet Maxine.” The voice was familiar but unrecognizable because of the delicate tone being used.

A cold, dainty, pale finger brushed against her forehead, she interlocked her gaze with the person, taking in the kaleidoscope green eyes once more before she closed her eyes again.

The next time Max stirred awake, it was to a guard hauling all of the contenders out of the cells and into a new subdivision. As the others made their way over to another corner of the area, Max paused and glanced down at her arm, which was still wrapped in the rich cloth.

Feeling a bit curious, she raised it and wiggled the limb only to find out that it was healed. Biting her lip, she wondered who came around and attended her. A hazy vision of bright green eyes came to mind instantly. Shaking her head, Max unwrapped her arm gingerly. With a satisfied sigh, she stretched her arm before tossing the fabric to the side and looking for the others.

She walked around a bit before encountering Thor and Korg by the weapons rack. Max made her way over to them and caught a bit of the end of their conversation.

“Oh my God. The hammer pulled you off?” Korg gasped, placing the large wooden fork down by the other weapons.

“The ground. It would pull me off the ground, up in the air, and I would fly. Every time I threw it, it would always come back to me.” Thor sighed, a mixture of nostalgia and grief.

Max stepped over to his side and bumped their shoulders. Thor looked down at her, his small frown morphed into a broad grin at seeing her. She noticed that he glanced at her healed limb but didn’t say anything about it.

Korg nodded. “Sounds like you had a pretty special relationship with this hammer and that losing it was almost comparable to losing a loved one.”

She tried not to giggle at Thor’s face, he essentially appeared relieved at someone understanding his relationship with Mjölnir. However, before Max could tease him, she looked over to the bar area on the side.

“Hey, Korg. What do you know about that woman over there?” Max inquires, jerking her head over to the scrapper.

Korg turns and nods in acknowledgment. “Scrapper #142? She’s tough and she drinks _a lot_.” He pauses and glances back at Max. “Is she the one who put you two in here?”

“Yes, that’d be her.” Thor scowls, looking down at fob device clipped to her belt.

“Didn’t you say something about a revolution earlier?” Max questions, tilting her head and walking back to the weapons rack.

Her fingers wavered over a few of them before settling on a large sword. It slightly resembled Hela's in width and length, but the handle was a bright opal-blue shade and the blade was a striking silver. Overall, it was beautiful and she couldn't wait to use it. With careful fingers, Max reached for the sword and grasped the handle tightly before turning back to the others.

“I tried to start a revolution, but didn’t print enough pamphlets so hardly anyone showed up,” Korg answers with a subdued shrug.

Thor glanced at her with questioning eyes but Max only winked at him before turning back to Korg. “We have enough people here for a revolution.” She murmured, huddling closer to the group. Max eyed a random leather sword strap and slipped it on, placing the sword agilely on her back with a sharp grin. “If we can get every contender on board, we might be able to escape.”

Something like hope spread over Korg’s face, he grinned broadly and nodded. “I can talk to the others.”

Thor spoke up, placing a delicate hand over her now healed arm. “I’ll take care of the competition.”

“And I’ll try to find a way out,” Max smirked.

“Lord of Thunder, you’re up!” A warden shouts from across the room.

Max and Korg turn as a few guards shuffle inside the area and seize Thor by the arms.

“What?” Thor manages to stammer before being dragged out of the room.

A few other guards lingered. Max tenses as one of them take her arm in a firm grip. “Azure, you’re after The Lord.”

She furrows her brows, trying to pull away from the guard’s grasp. That only encourages two other guards to assist in seizing her.

“Who the fuck is _Azure_?” Max bellows, kicking her feet as she’s escorted out from the pre-battle area.

“Good luck, Azure!” Korg exclaims behind her.

“That’s not my name!” She shouts in annoyance.


End file.
